Abuse and Refuge
by drama.chick13
Summary: This is a Hermione/Draco love story set during their 5th year. I don't own any character except Landon Carter. Warning- contains some sexual content and abuse. Don't read if you can't handle that :
1. The Date

Hermione had a date with her boyfriend of 3 months, Landon. He was among the popular Hufflepuff students. He was smart, handsome and the star of many 15 year old girl's dreams. There was just one slight flaw. He had temper issues.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was partially pinned up with beautiful, rhinestone hair clips that Ginny lent her and she had on a purple ruffled shirt and jeans that showed off her toned butt. This outfit was enormously out of character for her, since she generally didn't focus too much on her clothing and certainly didn't like showing off her feminine curves. But she wanted to impress Landon and make him happy, no matter what it took.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her face, her bruises starting to fade slightly from 5 days ago when she had last been alone with Landon. She wasn't kissing him good enough or something and he had gotten angry with her, punching her and throwing her to the ground. She thought about how 2 months ago, on their one month anniversary, he had tried to make out with her. Up until then, he was the sweetest, most caring person, always telling her that she looked stunning and he loved her so much. But she had held back when he forced his tongue into her mouth. And he retaliated with slapping her and pulling her hair. She learned to do what he wanted, and she gave him everything, the best she possibly could, anything to please him.

Hermione shook those thoughts away and waved her wand, applying a few concealment spells onto her body so she would look absolutely beautiful for their date tonight. He was the perfect one and she had to work to make him happy, and if she didn't, she deserved whatever he did to her. She was lucky to be with someone as amazing and perfect as him.

She finally decided that she was presentable and walked down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. It was empty and she went straight to the painting door and walked out into the corridor. She saw Landon standing close by, with a rose in his his hand. Hermione smiled. All her thoughts about Landon being sweet and perfect were just confirmed.

"You look beautiful tonight" He wrapped his arms around her, inhaling her perfume and stroking her hair. "Let's go to the room of requirement, it always has just what we need" He winked at her with a knowing look, making Hermione's stomach drop with worry. He grabbed her hand forcefully and led her down the corridor, turning her roughly when they turned corners or went upstairs.

They finally got to the room of requirement and Hermione stopped, desperately wishing not to go in. "fine, you don't want to go in?" Landon glared down at her, like she was a disgusting piece of trash. Hermione looked away, ashamed with her prudeness. Just as she was about to say she would go into the room with him, she felt her body being slammed against the wall.

Landon's mouth was on hers; violently kissing her like his life depended on it. She responded with vigor, wanting Landon to be pleased with her. He started working his hands up her shirt and touched her bra. Hermione flinched away and his sweet blue eyes turned to anger. He slapped her across the cheek and the felt a blow to her stomach. She fell to the ground, but Landon wasn't done. He kicked her stomach and kept beating her, letting every ounce of anger out. When he was finally done with her, he got up, and walked away, as if nothing had happened, leaving Hermione whimpering against the cold wall, not once looking back.


	2. Empty Corridors

Draco Malfoy was pissed. His friends were complete idiots and he just had to get away from them. He left the Slytherin common room and wandered around a castle, enjoying his alone time. He turned a corner and found Granger and her boyfriend snogging like maniacs. He was about to turn around, disgusted, but then he saw Landon throw her to the ground.

He quickly hid behind a wall, silently witnessing everything. He watched that bastard leave her helpless on the ground. Draco wondered what everyone would think of Landon if they knew this interesting detail about him. Everyone thought he was so bloody perfect. He found himself admiring the mudblood's strength, not once did she cry out. Draco was suddenly infuriated. The abuse was nothing new to him. He had watched for years as his father beat his mother whenever something didn't go his way or he was just bored. Draco never had the courage to stand up to his father and defend her, so he would just walk away. He never saw any trace of abuse in the mornings, but he knew it was hidden just under the surface of all her concealment charms.

Draco was surprised at how much he wanted to help the mudblood. He knew deep down that no one, not even her, deserved to be treated that way. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been walking down that corridor. No one would have ever found out and she would always be stuck with him. Draco decided that he needed to help her, no matter what it took, he wanted to help someone who was abused to make up for what he couldn't do with his own father.

"Now" he thought, although for some reason, his legs wouldn't allow him to move. he felt like a coward. He watched as Granger weakly pulled her wand out of her pocket and waved it over her body, applying concealment charms. She shakily got up and started walking back to the Gryffindor common room, the opposite direction that Draco was standing. She never noticed he was there.


	3. Tearful Nights

Hermione went back to the Gryffindor common room, heading to a specific destination. She wiped away the few tears that she had shed and took a deep breath, going into the common room. Her plan was to rush through and get to her special hideaway so she could be alone. She quickly mumbled the password and stepped though the portrait, briskly walking to the girls dormitories.

"Hermione how was your date?" Ginny chimed from a table with Ron and Harry.

"It was lovely, Landon's so sweet. I'm really tired though so I'm going to go to bed" Hermione hurriedly replied, faking enthusiasm.

"Oh alright, but I want all the details tomorrow morning" Ginny insisted cheerfully.

"Of course, you've got it" Hermione ran up the stairs and down to the end of a hallway, opening a lesser known door and going up a secret stairway out onto the Hogwarts roof. She stepped out into the cold air, already feeling better.

"Lumos" She whispered, locating the knife that she had hidden in the flower bed. She put away her wand and the blade shone in the moonlight. She rolled up her sleeve and gingerly sliced it across her wrist. All the pain of that night went away. She felt relieved that she could punish herself for not pleasing Landon. She made another cut, watching the blood flow down her arm. She blamed herself for the way Landon treated her and criticized herself for being weak and falling into his trap every time. Tears filled her eyes as she let all her pain and worries bleed away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hermione jumped and threw the blade on the ground. She whipped around to come face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"I'm enjoying the scenery and getting some fresh air" She quickly replied, caught off guard by the encounter but still quick witted as always. She rolled down her sleeve in attempt to cover the cuts.

"That's not what it looked like to me" Draco retorted.

"Just go away Malfoy, I want to be alone" Hermione turned around, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I know about Landon-"

"You know nothing about what I'm going through! Landon did absolutely nothing wrong! It's all my fault, I deserved it." Hermione snapped.

Draco sighed, "Do you honestly believe that?"

Hermione didn't answer. She pushed past Draco and ran back into the castle, leaving him standing there alone.

Draco watched her leave the roof, then turned around and sat, staring at the lake. He needed to help her. He couldn't explain why, it just felt like the right thing to do and Draco hadn't done the right thing in a long time. He was sick of being a coward, doing whatever his father demanded. Draco was old enough to make his own decisions and he was going to help Granger, whatever it takes.


	4. Leave No Trace

This late at night, Hermione didn't need to worry about anyone seeing her. She ran straight to her room and shut herself in the bathroom. She promptly burst into tears.

How could this be happening to her? What did she do wrong? It had to be her fault. That was the reason Hermione didn't want to tell anyone. She was embarrassed she had screwed up so bad her boyfriend had resorted to beating her. And even worse was that the only person that knew about it was Malfoy and he would probably just make her feel even more humiliated than she already was. Helpless, she sank to her knees. Taking off her shirt, she quickly cleaned it in the sink, rinsing away any trace of the blood. No one would know come morning.

Hermione woke up to her whole body aching. She was used to this feeling all too well. Luckily, Hermione was an early riser so none of the other girls saw her bruises and cuts the mornings after her dates. She stumbled into the bathroom and effortlessly applied the concealment charms that she so routinely executed. She brushed her hair and put on her robes, double checking to make sure no wounds or bruises were visible. She heard the other girls start to wake up and left the bathroom, going down to the common room to wait for Harry and Ron.

She saw them and they all started walking to breakfast, silently at first, but not for long.

"Are you okay Hermione?" Harry looked at her with concern. "You seemed a little beat-up last night"

Hermione's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?" A feeling of dread filled her mind.

"You know, worried, exhausted" Ron added.

"Oh, I was just tired from last night. We stayed out awfully late and had such a great time" Hermione felt the lie easily roll off her tongue. She hated lying to her best friends but she obviously couldn't tell them.

"Are you sure? You seem to have a lot on your mind lately" Harry inquired. Hermione was starting to get frustrated.

"You know, I really don't appreciate being interrogated by my two closest friends before we've even had breakfast" She hadn't wanted to snap at them, but they were getting too suspicious and she needed to steer them off track. "We had a wonderful time last night and I'm not going to disclose the intimate details but it left me more tired than usual, alright?" She really hadn't wanted to go there. Now they were going to think she was going further than just kissing him and she didn't want that either.

Thankfully, Ginny interrupted them as they entered the Great Hall. "Good morning Hermione" Ginny winked at her, implying that she would question her about the details of her date later that day.

They sat down at the Gryffindor table and Ron and Harry began stuffing their faces almost instantaneously, while Hermione and Ginny were slower and pickier, choosing precisely what they wanted. Once they started eating, Hermione tuned out, hearing Harry and Ron argue about Quidditch. She thought least today would be a good day because she had a full day of classes and undoubtedly homework and studying. That cheered her up because not only did she get to immerse herself in learning for the majority of the day but she had a reasonable excuse not to see Landon.

"Malfoy, where were you last night?" Zabini asked curiously. "I didn't hear you enter the dormitory."

"I didn't realize you stayed up for my return every night."

"I don't. I was merely inquisitive. Forgive me for being intrusive."

"I'll consider it." Draco said after swallowing a bite of food. Blaise rolled his eyes.

Staring past Zabini, Draco fixed his gaze on Hermione Granger. She was facing him, sitting next to Ginny Weasley, who was laughing at something Potter had said. He couldn't stop looking at her. She was gorgeous, truly stunning. The sunlight from the ceiling gleamed on her wavy, caramel hair. Suddenly, she made eye contact and he felt lost inside her chestnut eyes.

"Malfoy. Malfoy!" Zabini yelled, waving his hand in front of Draco's face, breaking his concentration on Hermione.

"What?" He said exasperated.

"You've been staring into space for five whole minutes. We were starting to get worried. Its time to get to class. Transfiguration. Draco!"

She knew he was staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her from across the Hall. Glancing quickly, she found herself entranced by his grey eyes. They looked like her own personal shining moon. She studied his face; the clear, pale skin, so different from her own. In that moment, she realized how beautiful he truly was. He was mysterious, sure, but that only made him all the more sexy. Hermione broke out of her trance when she felt a hand grip her shoulder.

"Good morning gorgeous" Landon's smooth voice sent chills up her spine. "Can I walk you to potions?" He grabbed her hand to help her over the bench and slung her bag over his shoulder. Ginny beamed at her as she allowed herself to be pulled through the Great Hall and into the corridors. The last thing she saw before being whisked through the door was Draco getting up from his table.


	5. Late to Class

Hermione smiled at her friends as she was dragged away from witnesses, the only people in the whole castle were in the Great Hall at that time. "James, what's the rush?" Hermione was smiling, thinking that he was taking her somewhere so they could kiss and he could apologize for last night.

"Come on babe, we're almost there" Landon kept a tight grip on her hand, pulling her past the stairway that led down to potions and into another corridor, empty of course. He pressed her against the wall and attacked her lips vigorously, almost instantly using tongue. Hermione responded with the best snogging she possibly could, hoping to make up for last night and making him mad. But it wasn't enough.

Landon squeezed her waist, as if that would make her kiss any better. He threw his hands up her shirt, feeling up her bra. She was then thrown to the ground, torn apart from what Hermione thought was a romantic moment. Landon kicked her multiple times in the stomach and then leaned down and whispered "next time, wear a sexier bra, because it will be coming off". He gave her one final punch to the stomach and left.

Hermione could tell that he had broken a rib. She had never been assaulted by him before classes. It was always after their dates and she was shocked. Her eyes blurred with tears but she could make out a figure coming towards her. She blinked multiple times and her tears finally got the hint to come back later, just in time for her vision to clear up and notice Draco Malfoy standing above her.

"Are you alright?" He looked like he wanted to say more, but he held back.

"No, I'm not. I'm late to class" Hermione tried to make it sound like her and Landon had just gotten carried away and now she was going to be late to Potions and the only reason she was so worried was because she didn't want any house points taken away.

"I'll walk you there and explain to Snape that it's not your fault" Draco smiled at her. Hermione instantly got warm inside when he smiled. Why? She didn't like him! She loved Landon and Landon loved her. Oh, cut the crap, she thought to herself. She knew that wasn't true, but she couldn't bring herself to believe that she liked Draco. But that smile was so perfect.

Hermione shook away the ridiculous thought and grabbed her bag, quickly getting up. She instantly felt a stab of pain in her side, confirming her assumption that Landon had broken her rib. Hermione clutched her side and her body shook from the reaction. Draco's arms were immediately around her, trying to stabilize her.

"I've got it" Hermione tried to shake Draco away, hating the fact that she needed anyone to help her at all. Draco finally let go but stood close just in case. She was aware that he was staring at her as she applied the concealment charms. When she was done, she took a deep breath, having forgotten about her broken rib, and felt the painful stab in her side again. Instinctively, she grabbed and bent over a little, trying to make it go away.

"Here, straighten up, I know something that might help" Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at her stomach. Hermione was surprised that she wasn't scared of him aiming at her. Oddly, she trusted him for some reason and knew he really was going to help. "Vindeca tempus" He waved his wand and suddenly her side felt a lot better.

"What was that?" Even under these circumstances, Hermione was annoyed that he knew a spell that she didn't.

"It temporarily heals broken bones. It only lasts for 8 hours though, so you need to go to the hospital wing after all your classes." Draco had learned that spell after countlessly hearing his mother use it.

Hermione rolled her shoulders, took a deep breath and walked with Draco down to the dungeon, where the potions classroom was already 15 minutes into the lesson. She stepped in and the entire class stared at her.

"Sorry professor, Granger here fell down some stairs and I had her sit down for a while to make sure she was alright" Draco smiled at Professor Snape charmingly, as if helping someone who had fallen down the stairs was an everyday occurrence.

"Well that was awfully kind of you Draco, I'm sure Miss Granger thoroughly appreciates it" Snape turned around to the board and proceeded with the lesson, leaving Hermione to find a seat and Draco excused to Transfigurations.


	6. An Uneventful Day?

Hermione sat next to Harry in the back of the room. "What on earth happened? Since when are you a klutz? And since when does Malfoy help people?" Hermione could tell Harry had loads more questions to ask, but Snape cut them off.

"Mr. Potter, please refrain from studying Miss Granger more than you are studying potions while in my class" That got a few laughs out of the class, but Hermione and Harry ignored it.

"I'll tell you later, just focus for now" Hermione wasn't actually going to tell Harry the real explanation, but saying she would tell him later gave her more time to come up with a decent lie to satisfy him.

The class ended and the rest of the day flew by in a blur. She saw Landon a few times, but pretended she had to get to class so he wouldn't stop her. She was finally in her last class, Muggle studies and there was five minutes left of it, but Hermione had absolutely no idea what they had talked about today. She was too preoccupied with a certain boy who wouldn't stay out of her head.

"Pssstt. Hermione!"

Hermione looked around confused, before seeing Luna waving at her. Hermione gave Luna a questioning look.

"Stop daydreaming about Landon and pay attention!" Luna smiled widely.

Hermione nodded and forced a laugh, but it wasn't her boyfriend invading her mind, it was another boy with eyes like ash. The bell sounded and Hermione gathered her things, racing to the common room, hoping she wouldn't see Landon in the corridor. She didn't see him, but unfortunately, she almost ran straight into Malfoy as he was walking in the halls.

"Careful, Granger, we can't have you tripping again." He said lightly, echoing her excuses she gave when a bruise started to show. Before she could open her mouth to respond, he was walking away.

There was something seriously wrong with him. He never had trouble focusing on a class because of a girl. Most of the time girls had trouble focusing because of him. Scribbling absentmindedly, Draco wondered if Hermione was thinking about him. "This is ridiculous!" He muttered, cursing himself for thinking of her yet again. He started in his seat when he heard the bell ring, then realizing what it was, gathered his things and went into the corridor to his common room before dinner. He wasn't paying attention until a petite brunette almost crashed into his chest. Making a slight comment on the nature of her bruises, he left the room, and went on to the common room.

Hermione couldn't wait to go to dinner. This was getting out of control. All during Muggle Studies, she only thought about Draco. Almost running into him had opened her eyes to how different their heights were. If either of them had taken one step closer, her face would've ran straight into his chest. She started to wish they had run into each other-no she didn't. She was fighting an internal war, and her head was losing to her heart. And that scared her. Her heart also chose Landon every time her mind told her to leave him. But somehow, she thought Draco would be different. But she couldn't leave Landon. But she absolutely could not stay with him. But, But, But. Her budding emotions were confusing her. Big time.

She spent all of dinner watching Draco. She watched the way he talked to his friends, how he ate his food. He was mesmerizing, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. When dinner was finally over, Hermione headed to the common room, really wanting to just go to her room and do homework to take her mind off him. But she never made it to her room. Someone was in the corridor right before she went into the portrait hole.

"Hermione, babe, why have you been avoiding me all day?" Landon looked down at her with a fake pout.


	7. Staying Strong

"Hermione, babe, why have you been ignoring me all day?" Landon asked; a pout on his lips, his eyes ablaze with fury.

Hermione was rooted to the ground in terror. She couldn't even blink. She tried to talk, but her mouth wouldn't open. She almost collapsed and had to focus on keeping herself upright, but forgot to breathe. Her heart sped up when she saw Landon take a step toward her. At the second step, her mouth was completely dry. She didn't know what to do. A minute later his arms enveloped her and she relaxed.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Landon asked. Looking up at his face, she noticed the sincerity in his voice didn't quite reach his eyes. She backed away slowly.

"You don't care. Why are you pretending?" she asked wearily. She was emotionally exhausted. Back when she was just dealing with Landon, it was hard. Now Draco Malfoy had entered the equation. But as intolerable as the git was, she felt more like herself with him. Landon overpowered her and made her feel like nothing. But with Draco, she could be the stubborn and independent person she used to be.

She was pulled from her musings when her upper arms were grabbed forcefully. She jerked her head up to meet Landon's malice-filled eyes. "I care about you, you ungrateful mudblood." He said throwing her to the floor.

Tears stung her eyes as she landed painfully on her wrist. Not even bothering to wipe them away, she let them spill down her cheeks. Landon leaned down to her ear "And no one else will ever care about you, so stop complaining. You're lucky to be with me because I know dozens of girls that would love to take your place." He slapped her cheek, kissed her mouth and the walked off.

Hermione pulled her knees to her chest and leaned against the wall, lost in thought. Where did she go wrong? What did she do to make Landon so furious at her? Her eyes drooped and her body caved in to fatigue.

His first thought was that she died. His heart stopped beating for a second, before he focused properly and noticed her chest was rising and falling. He examined her chest a bit longer before mentally smacking himself. His long legs were quickly at her side and he knelt down next to her, softly whispering her name in an effort to wake her.

She didn't move.

Next he tentatively reached out and shook her shoulder. She sat bolt upright and jumped away from him. Hiding her face in her hands she whispered, "Please don't hurt me."

He laughed. "That's the opposite of what I was planning on doing, Granger."

Hermione looked through her fingers and took a deep breath. Her voice still came out weak and shaky though. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I want to help you."

She was massaging her wrist, trying to make it feel better in any way, but she stopped and stared at him. His eyes were clear of deception, unlike Landon's. But she was stronger than this, and she knew it. "I don't need your help. I can handle it on my own. I appreciate your concern, but I've got it all under control."

"Do you really believe you can do this all by yourself?" Draco's tone was skeptical. She stopped but didn't face him. He continued. "How long have you been dating? You can't honestly expect me to believe it's gotten better. If anything your relationship has gone completely downhill." She turned around and opened her mouth as if to say something but he cut her off. "I think you're scared. You've never encountered something that you couldn't accomplish or figure out by yourself. You're scared because you can't handle it. This isn't something you can do by yourself. You've lost control and it scares you."

Hermione was stunned. Draco had completely nailed exactly what she was thinking. Exhausted and broken down, she nodded in agreement with him. Draco smiled and helped her up. Still holding her hand, he led her to the hidden staircase and out onto the roof where they had met just last night.

They sat down on the small balcony and looked out over the lake in silence. Hermione had so much going through her mind. Landon was horrible to her, sure, but most guys were like that. When she had briefly dated Viktor Krum in her fourth year, he constantly wanted more from her. He had ended up being her first kiss. Landon only hurt her because she didn't give him what he wanted. If only Hermione wasn't so stubborn and prudish, she would be able to give it to him and be the best girlfriend for him.

On the other hand, Draco didn't seem like he wanted anything from her, although he did give off a feeling of protection and maybe love for her. But that seemed like the same relationship that her and Harry had. It would never be anymore that that. Or would it… Hermione had the sudden urge to kiss Draco. She looked up at him and he looked down at her, their eyes meeting. His eyes really were beautiful. Hermione felt like she could stare into them all day.

He leaned down and their lips touched. It was a simple kiss, not even really a kiss, just a peck. But Hermione instantly felt sparks and it was better than any kiss she's ever shared with Landon. Draco's lips were so soft and he kissed her so gently, like she would turn into dust if he was any rougher But at the same time, she could feel the passion pulsing through his lips, the desire and love that they both felt during that 2 second connection. He pulled away and smiled, putting his arm around her and leaning back onto the wall.

Hermione felt her eyelids get heavy and as much as she wanted to stay awake, she couldn't do it any longer. Her head fell onto Draco's chest and she had the best dreams of him all night.

Draco stared out at the lake for a while, his arm around the most beautiful girl he had ever met. It was cool, and he had goose-bumps dotting his pale skin. He sat silently looking at the lake, the moon reflecting in the still water. He couldn't get her out of his mind. He hung his head, deep in thought, wondering how he could help her understand that what Landon was doing wasn't right. He knew she would never listen to him, let alone believe him. He needed to do something totally crazy to get her to realize. He looked down at her again. She looked so innocent and beautiful when she was sleeping. How could anyone possibly want to hurt that? he also felt his eyes start to droop and decided that it would be easier to just fall asleep out here than bring her back to her room and risk being caught. So he gave in to exhaustion and that night, all he dreamed about was the utter hopelessness in her eyes and the most amazing kiss he had ever had.


	8. Confusing Mornings

Hermione woke up to the sound of owls flying overhead and the trees rustling in the late November air. She felt an arm around her and looked up to see the face of Draco. She was momentarily confused until she remembered last night. The kiss.

"Draco, get up!" Hermione had a feeling of dread in her stomach, like she was going to be caught because she had technically slept with him, even if it wasn't in the sexual way.

"Good morning" Draco had a groggy look on his face, smiling with his adorable boyish smile.

"Draco, we fell asleep out here. We've got to get ready for class" Hermione was freaking out. What is they had been seen? What would people think? Hermione felt annoyed. She never cared what people thought of her. She did, however, care if the news somehow got around to Landon.

"Oh no, I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing first. You broke your wrist last night. I can tell." Hermione was thankful that he didn't bring up the reason that she broke her wrist. She pulled out her wand with her good hand and applied a charm to make her look less disheveled and more presentable, even if she was just going to the hospital wing. Wait, she wasn't going there. She couldn't. That would take at least an hour, making her miss her first class. Breakfast had already begun and class would start in 20 minutes.

"You can miss your first class, you will survive" Draco stated her worries, as if he'd read her mind.

They got up and went down the hidden staircase, into the corridor and through the castle until they got to the hospital wing. They were silent the whole way, both swarmed in their thoughts about last night. Draco held open the door for her and she walked in. Madame Pomfrey hustled over to them and motioned them over to a bed and a chair next to it.

"Your wrist looks broken dear, but I'll have to do an X-ray to find out for sure" Hermione was amazed that Madame Pomfrey could tell just by looking at her that she had a broken wrist. It didn't look broken to her. It wasn't pointed at any unusual angles or anything. The nurse waved her wand and an illusion of the bones inside Hermione's arm appeared. It quickly disappeared.

"Yep, just what I thought. It's broken." Madame Pomfrey scurried around, getting a brace for her to wear for the day and giving her a potion that would fix the bones within an hour. The rest of the time in there was a blur, but by the time they got out, Hermione knew she had missed most of her first class.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later" Draco smiled at her. He had been holding her hand the entire time she was getting her wrist fixed and he finally let go. They turned their separate ways just as everyone was let out of classes. The hallway quickly became crowded and they could no longer see each other. Hermione walked on to her Transfigurations class, not looking back for fear she would long for Draco and be late.


	9. Being Alone

Classes that day passed rather quickly. Hermione avoided Landon, thought about Draco, did her homework, and thought about Draco.

The day for Draco was similar. He got up, thought about Hermione, admired his appearance, thought about Hermione, flexed in the mirror, thought about Hermione, acted like he paid attention in class, and thought about Hermione.

Meals were exciting for them both. Except for the corridors, in the Great Hall were the only times the two saw each other. They took turns staring at each other, never making eye contact, one looking away just before the other glanced over. Neither of them could concentrate on their friends' conversations, and often answered questions with answers completely irrelevant to the questions being asked. Naturally, those around them were interested in their sudden distractedness, but they soon forgot with the complexity of their own lives.

So Hermione and Draco lived like this for a week. Miraculously, Hermione was also able to avoid Landon for that week. This was a blessing for her. Draco was driving her crazy even though they hadn't talked since he had taken her to the hospital wing. Her thoughts were constantly centered on him. She had thrown herself into her schoolwork in attempt to get him out of her mind, but that only succeeded in making her grades go up slightly.

After an evening of studying with Harry and Ron, Hermione finally went to her dormitory and crawled into bed. Her thoughts again somehow managed to creep back to Malfoy. She constantly thought of him and his entrancing gray eyes. She had never seen anything like them and had wondered why she never noticed them in the five years that she'd known him. She also thought about how sweet and caring he was with her. Harry and Ron didn't get along with him, but she knew they would if he was given the chance.

But the thing she really couldn't get out of her mind was the fact that she thought she was falling in love with him. She felt safe in his arms, a feeling that she hadn't experienced in months, during the whole time she was dating Landon. She loved how protective and understanding he was of her. She always thought of herself as a rather independent person, never needing anyone to take care of her. Draco had helped her realize that maybe this time, she did. And that didn't make her any worse of a person or any weaker. She wished she could just dump Landon for Draco, but she was really terrified of the retaliation.

She rolled over in bed and envisioned Landon's face. Not the angry face that he had when he wasn't pleased with her, but the kind, loving face that everyone else saw. Just thinking about him made her question Draco. She knew Landon didn't really love her, even if he put on a nice face for show to everyone. Draco was probably the same way. He only pretended to care about her. He probably only wanted to help her because she was a little charity case and that made him feel good about himself. She was angered with herself that she hadn't realized that sooner. She fell asleep with thoughts about Landon being the one and Draco being a player.


	10. Secret Dates

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione couldn't stop staring at Draco, despite her thoughts last night. She watched him distractedly try to hold a conversation with his friends, but it was obvious that he had something on his mind as well. Hermione's heart lifted. Maybe she was on his mind. Draco then made eye contact with her, and motioned to the corridors, signaling that he wanted to talk to her.

She quickly made an excuse that she wanted to get to class early and left the Gryffindor table and walked out of the Great Hall. Draco stepped out shortly after. She looked at him and, once she was sure that no one was looking, ran into his arms.

"Well good morning gorgeous" Draco had his boyish smile on his face again. Hermione melted inside. She buried her face into his chest.

"I missed you so much" Her voice was muffled through his chest, but Draco could understand her perfectly. She pulled back and they walked and sat down on some steps in an empty corridor.

"I missed you too. It's been like a week now. Why so long?" Draco looked at her questioningly.

"I think we need to talk about us" She turned serious, their cute reunion now over.

"Go on" Draco looked slightly worried, but he didn't say anything.

"I can't break up with Landon. Please don't make me do that. I will on my own time. But I'm starting to really like you, which is completely ridiculous considering we've been enemies for years now. But anyway, I want to be with you, I just can't end it with Landon. So I was thinking that we could meet in secret. I mean, if that's okay with you. Or if you even really want to. Oh god, I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea" Hermione hung her head. She had thought she had a brilliant plan, but she knew it was dumb. She was right last night, Draco doesn't really like her.

"What ever it takes to see you. Are you alright with cheating on him?" She nodded and Draco put his arm around her and she heaved a sigh of relief. She was so scared that he wouldn't go with it, but he was. He actually liked her and she actually liked him and they were going to share a secret, just the two of them.

"How about tonight, by the lake. At 9 o'clock" Draco suggested enthusiastically.

"Alright, tonight at 9" They got up from the steps and walked down different corridors, not speaking again until that night.

Hermione cautiously stepped into the cool late November air and walked down the steps to the lake. She saw a showed figure and hurried her pace; knowing Draco was waiting for her. When she got to the lake, Draco gave her a hug. "Close your eyes" He whispered to her.

"What?" Hermione was curious as to what he was planning on doing. "Why?"

"You'll see" He said with a wink.

Draco reached out in the darkness and took Hermione's hand. Her thin fingers closed around his and he sat her down in the grass. Hermione heard his voice mutter 'Lumos.' A few moments later his footsteps returned.

"Open your eyes."

She opened them and Draco was standing before her holding a single red rose.

"I'm really glad we could meet tonight. I've missed you this past week" He smiled down at her. Hermione looked at him, his eyes twinkled and she knew he was not joking.

She took the rose and felt a lump in her throat. A feeble 'Thank you.' was all she could manage.

They sat down on the cold grass and Hermione shivered, so Draco took his coat off and put it around her shaking shoulders. He then muttered something and a small fire lit up the grass in front of them.

"Granger, what do you see in Landon? How can you stand to be around him?"

"It's complicated." She sighed and looked up at him. "He's so sweet normally. And popular and every girl in school wants to date him. He's kind and obviously attractive and smart. He just has some temper issues, that's all"

"Well he doesn't know what he might lose" Malfoy said with a wink. He leaned towards Hermione and kissed her, not harshly or passionately, just softly, tenderly. When Hermione thought about what she was doing, kissing someone who wasn't her boyfriend, she felt like she should pull away. She was cheating on Landon and she didn't want to even think about what would happen if he found out. But she couldn't pull away. It just felt too right.

After their date, they walked back up to the castle together, talking quietly. He walked her all the way up to Gryffindor Tower, where after another kiss, he left her. She gave the Fat Lady the password and climbed inside. She tiptoed across the floor when suddenly something made her jump.

"And where have you been Miss Granger?"

"As you are well aware students are not allowed out of the tower after 10 O'clock, especially not to meet with students from other houses." She knew Fred and George were only joking by their mocking tone of voice but she was still worried.

"How do you know who I've been with?" She exclaimed, her heart speeding up. She had been sure to be careful that no one saw. Surely she wasn't that reckless. They held up the Marauders Map and winked.

"We won't tell." Said George with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, not a soul." Fred was grinning. "But don't you have a boyfriend?" He winked knowingly at her.

"Don't you dare!" Hermione was dead serious. She was absolutely terrified at what Landon would do if he knew.

"Maybe not this time, but we're going to need some motivation to keep our mouths shut if we catch you again" George had a sly smile on his face, knowing he had scared her. She shook her head at them, smiling, then carried on up to the girls dormitories.

"Oh and by the way," Fred called up to her. "You could do so much better than Malfoy! And that Landon bloke for that matter"

"Yeah, we never really liked him" George added.

Hermione just laughed. They would never understand.

_**A/N So, what do you guys think? Comments make me extremely happy, just saying :) Also, I'm coming to an end with this one, just so you know. Maybe 5 more chapters.**_


	11. A Horrible Mistake

The next week was spent dividing her time between being harrassed and abused by Landon and cheating on him with Draco. Hermione knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. Draco made her happy and she didn't have the nerve to end it with Landon yet. She finally felt happy with her life because whenever Landon would hurt her, she would go to Draco and he would cheer her up.

Tonight however, she was spending time with Landon. It was their 4 month anniversary and he said he had something special planned for them. She met with him in the corridor outside the Gryffindor common room and he gently grabbed her hand.

"Happy Anniversary beautiful" Landon smiled at her lovingly. Hermione felt a wave of relief wash over her as she realized tonight Landon was going to be sweet and she knew it would be a good night. He led her through the castle, down corridors and up stairs and into a room. Hermione was so happy to be with the sweet Landon she loved, that she didn't even realize what room it was. Until she saw the bed.

"Landon, I'm-" She didn't get to finish. Landon pressed his lips to her's, and she went with it, passionately kissing him, slowly weaving her tongue into his mouth. They fell back onto the bed, still kissing. Landon went faster, more vigorously and intense. He worked his hands to her chest and proceeded to unbutton her shirt, throwing it on the floor. He easily slid off her skirt and that too was thrown to the floor. He kept kissing her so lustfully, so eagerly.

Landon then worked on his own clothes, oblivious to the fact that Hermione was only halfheartedly participating, dreading what was inevitably coming next. He took off his shirt, revealing his 4-pack and tan skin. Landon moved his lips down to Hermione's chest, kissing all over her flawless body.

Hermione just looked around the room as Landon kept kissing her. She noticed the candles all over the room and how they gave it a romantic, dreamy glow. She thought how it would be perfect for her and Draco. But something snapped her out of her thoughts. Landon's pants hit the floor and her stomach dropped, she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

"Babe, you're so beautiful. Even after everything I'm going to do to you, I'm sure you'll still look flawless" Landon whispered in her ear, before unhooking her lacy pink bra and slipping it off her body and into the pile of her clothes on the floor. This is it, she thought. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her face was starting to sweat. Did she really want to give up her virginity to a man who abused her, who only showed the tiniest bit of affection when he was thirsty for a slut to make out with?

She couldn't possibly break up with him though. He took care of her, he called her beautiful and he was popular and funny. She was so lucky that he chose to be with her, she was in a position that other girls only dreamed of being in. Landon slid his hands down the sides of her pink panties, about to slip them off. She drew her waist back, terrified of losing her innocence and purity. And then she knew she had made a mistake.

Landon's eyes went from passionate and loving to hatred and anger in a matter of two seconds. "You are such a prude, you bitch" he slapped her cheek and pushed her off the bed onto the cold stone floor. He slapped her bare legs and back and punched her stomach. Hermione didn't say anything the whole time. She just laid there, knowing that it would be over soon. He grabbed her chin, forced her to kiss him and then quickly got dressed and left her lying on the floor, alone in the Room of Requirement.

Hermione stayed on the floor for a few more seconds, her bare body covered in goose bumps and her eyes starting to fill with tears. Even though she ached from the punches and the slaps still stung a little, she got up and got dressed again. She walked out of the Room of Requirement and down the corridors, her breath still shaky from the fight. She ran through the portrait hole and through the common room, not noticing Harry, Ron, Fred and George sitting in the common room by the fire.

She ran and ran until she got outside onto the roof. Only then did everything finally sink in. She was so horrifyingly close to having sex with Landon. How could she possibly let herself do that? She sunk down to the ground and kneeled on her knees, pulling out her wand. "Accio knife" she whispered, her voice too weak to be any louder.

The knife flew into her hands and she slid it across her wrist, watching the blood trickle out. She did it twice more and then looked up, out onto the lake, remembering the night the she and Draco had met there in secret for the first time. He was so sweet and understanding with her and she had almost slept with Landon. Hermione felt sick, she was so disgusted with herself. She cut her wrist again, not caring how deep she was going. Finally she dropped the knife, put her bleeding wrist on her jacket that she had placed on the roof in the beginning of December for the chilly nights and just sat there, sobbing.


	12. Getting Help

Draco had seen Hermione rush out of the Room of Requirement and followed her up until she ran into the Gryffindor common room. He knew where she was most likely going, so he took the alternate route to get to their secret place on the roof. Once he got there, he opened the door quietly, not wanting to frighten her. He saw her with the knife in her hand, sobbing as she cut more than she ever had before. He watched for a few more seconds until she finally put down the knife and Draco could find relief in the fact that she most likely wouldn't hurt herself anymore tonight.

He closed the door, thinking maybe he should be there comforting her, but he knew there was something bigger he must do. She was officially out of control and he couldn't help her alone. He needed to get help from the two closest people in her life. Harry and Ron.

Draco walked down the stairs and through the corridor, very aware that he was in the girl's dormitory corridor. He walked down another flight of stairs and stepped into the cozy looking Gryffindor common room, delighted to find the exact two people he was hoping to run into.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry stood up right in front of him. "You're not supposed even be able to get into the Gryffindor common room, much less enter through the girl's dormitories." Draco noticed that Ron had his wand out and Harry had his hand in the pocket that undoubtedly held his wand.

"I came to inform you of something, something I need your help with" Draco didn't touch his wand, not wanting to seem like a threat to them.

"_You_ need _our_ help with something?" The look on Ron's face showed nothing but disbelief.

"It's about Hermione" Draco pleaded, hoping they would just hear him out.

Harry stiffened, sensing that something was wrong and Ron lowered his wand. Both of them sat in one of the extremely comfortable looking chairs by the fire. Draco followed suit and gazed around the empty common room. He then looked at the two guys and proceeded to tell them everything from the very first night he discovered Hermione after being abused up until tonight and everything he witnessed on the roof.

"Well, we're going to help her" Harry stated simply.

"Of course, but how" Ron looked like he was thinking hard.

"We're going to start by confronting her. If we can get her to realize that she's not at fault, but admit that she needs help, that's a start" Harry looked determined.

The three of them continued to talk for another half hour until Draco finally decided it was time to leave before anyone came down. Harry and Ron stayed in the common room, waiting for Hermione to come down so things could begin to get better.


	13. Confrontation

Hermione dried her eyes after about a half hour of crying and slowly stood up and stepped through the door, down the secret staircase into the girl's dormitories corridor. She wasn't quite ready to go to her room and face the possibility of one of her roomates being awake, so instead she decided to go to the common room, where no one would be this late at night. She was wrong.

"Good evening, Hermione" Harry and Ron were sitting by the fireplace and motioned her to sit down as well. Her heart started racing. What did they want? Did they notice that she had bruises? No, of course not, she was very careful to cover all of them up. Oh god, she thought. did they know she almost had sex with him tonight?

"What are you guys doing up so late? You're going to get in trouble." She tried to sound as normal and nagging as possible.

"Hermione, we need to talk to you" Harry started gently.

"Oh god, do you cut yourself?" Ron blurted it out impatiently.

"Blimey Ron, we were going to do this gradually" Harry reprimanded Ron, annoyed that he hadn't approached the subject as kindly and gently as they had planned.

"I – I don't know what you're talking about" Hermione felt hot and flustered. What was she going to do? She certainly wasn't going to fess up to it. She'd just lie her way through it, accuse them of imagining things.

"Look, Mal- I mean Draco came to us today. He said you've been secretly seeing him behind Landon's back and that Landon abuses you" Harry looked genuinely concerned about Hermione, which was expected. They were like brother and sister. "He said he's seen you cut yourself. He's worried about you."

Hermione thought for a second that she should just tell them and accept whatever help they were planning on getting her. But she was scared. Hermione wasn't really sure what she was frightened of, but she was horribly scared. Mostly of appearing weak to the two people in her life whom she entrusted everything in. "That's a lie. All of it is a lie. Why on earth would cheat on someone as amazing as Landon with Malfoy?" she knew that the lies weren't as convincing as they normally were, but she was extremely tired and just wanted this to be over with.

"Really? Then prove it" Ron countered daringly. "Show us your arm."

Hermione took a shaky breath and pulled up the sleeve to her right arm, showing a perfectly unscathed wrist.

"The other one, Hermione" Harry wasn't as gentle anymore, he turned serious and stern. Hermione shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes because she knew they were going to find out. Harry took her left hand and, without Hermione resisting at all, rolled up her sleeve to reveal numerous slits up her wrist and some spots of dried blood from her recent meltdown. Harry made an audible gasp and Ron whispered "Merlin".

Hermione felt the hot tears running down her cheek. But this time, they weren't just because of fear. She also felt relieved that they finally knew and now she might be able to fix everything. She looked up and saw that Harry also had tears in his eyes while Ron looked like he was thinking real hard, trying to process everything.

"Hermione, you need to break up with him" Harry stated, blinking away the tears.

"I know" She whispered, ashamed that she had done something to make both of them this upset. "I'll do it tomorrow before classes."

"Good" Harry and Ron both spoke at the same time.

"Alright then, I think it's time to get to bed" Harry moved his arm off of Hermione's shoulder and wiped her tears, then stood up. Hermione and Ron got up as well and they all went to their dormitories.

Hermione was so tired she didn't even worry about what was going to happen the next day. She didn't think about Landon and didn't even think about being scared. She just fell asleep.


	14. Rage and Betrayal

Hermione was walking with Harry and Ron to breakfast the next day. This is it, she thought. She was finally going to end it with Landon. She felt Harry grab her hand and squeezed it.

"You can do it" He whispered reassuringly.

"Thank you." She whispered back.

"We'll save you a seat for when you're done" Ron smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood. His smile quickly vanished when he saw someone walking up to Hermione. "Umm, we'll just go now." He blushed and hustled into the Great Hall.

"Draco" Hermione hugged his and inhaled his beautiful scent. Within 10 minutes, her relationship with Landon would be done and they could finally stop sneaking around with their relationship.

"I'm so proud of what you're about to do" He smiled at her and the leaned in and they proceeded to passionately kiss for the next five minutes. Hermione finally reluctantly pulled back.

"I told him to meet me here at 8:45. It's 8:38 now. You'd better go. I'll see you soon" She gave him one more loving kiss and then watched as Draco turned the corner and was out of sight.

"You lying, cheating slut" Landon stepped out from behind a wall with a mixture of anger and violence on his face. "After all I've done for you, everything I've given you!"

"Landon, I can explain-" Hermione trailed off. She could see Landon turning vicious.

Landon leapt at her, but Hermione was prepared. He wrestled her to the ground but Hermione put up a fight. Landon threw punches at her sides, but Hermione's adrenaline kept her from feeling the pain.

"You're a slutty little mudblood" Landon pulled her up against the wall. She elbowed his stomach, hoping to get him to get off. Undeterred, Landon launched another attack, but this time Hermione reacted and brought her knee up sharply, connecting, she hoped, with Landon's balls. Bent double, Landon, with his last vestiges of strength, shoved Hermione away.

She felt the banister in the small of her back, heard the crack, and then heard a rush of air past her ears as she plunged down to the stone floor. She stirred briefly; trying to lift her head, and saw a blonde boy and a dark haired boy firing spells and punches at Landon.

"Landon, you foul arse. You'll pay for that"

"Harry?" Hermione couldn't be sure, the voice sounded fuzzy, disconnected, but before she could focus, she blacked out.

She was floating in the air. Words swirled around her, some soft, some loud, some measured, some panicked, all voices familiar and yet she couldn't make out who was there, or where she was.

_'Stay with us, Miss Granger.'_

_'Someone stop Mr. Carter from bleeding'_

_'Hermione! Don't move!'_

_'We were only trying to protect her. He was hurting her.'_

_'I saw them on the ground. Hermione was putting up a good fight. Then she just… stopped.'_

_'Hermione, no, NO.'_

_'Mr. Malfoy, listen, she'll be all right.'_

_'Broken ribs and collarbone, sprained wrist and concussion.'_

_'I'll owl her parents straight away'._

"Draco?" Hermione murmured weakly.

"Here," he whispered from her other side, sliding his hand over hers.

"I'm sorry" she muttered, then sank once more into oblivion.


	15. The Showdown

As soon as Draco turned the corner our of Hermione's sight, he went back to the doors to the Great Hall and grabbed Harry and Ron, for they all wanted to see the look on Landon's face when she dumped him. They were also there in case Landon got mad and started hurting her.

"-slutty little mudblood!" They heard a man's voice scream. Draco paled even more than usual, looked at the other boys and they bolted off as fast as they could. When they finally got to the corridor, they saw Hermione lying on the ground, bent at an odd angle and Landon clutching his crotch, slightly out of breath.

"Ron, go and get Madame Pomfrey" Draco whispered quickly.

"Landon, you foul arse! You'll pay for that." Harry ran to Landon, who wasn't expecting anything, and punched him in the stomach. Draco followed closely behind and punched his nose, promptly breaking it.

Landon finally figured out what was going on and pulled out his wand, quickly casting a Jelly-Legs Jinx at Draco, which made him fall to the ground. Harry turned and cast the anti-jinx to free him and they both charged at Landon, firing jinxes only to have Landon dodge them.

"Incarcerous!" Landon shouted, aiming directly at Harry. He fell, bound with ropes from Landon's wand, and was left helpless.

"Sectumsempra!" Draco had learned the spell from an old book he found in Professor Snape's office, but didn't know what it would do. Landon dropped to the ground, a pool of blood forming around him. Draco cut the ropes off of Harry and rushed over to Hermione, barely even paying attention to Landon's wounds.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, what on earth happened?" They turned to see Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey walking over to them in the corridor. Madame Pomfrey immediately bent down to Hermione and started preparing her limp body for the trip over to the Hospital wing so she wouldn't be injured any more than she already was.

"Stay with us, Miss Granger." Draco heard her whisper softly.

"Someone stop Mr. Carter from bleeding!" Professor McGonagall looked over at Landon's cut up body and Draco walked over, reluctantly performing the counter-curse. Landon's blood dried up and he shakily stood up, looked in horror at Draco and ran out of the corridor. Draco vowed to find him later, but right now, he needed to stay with Hermione.

Draco walked back over and saw Hermione trying to move, slightly awake. "Hermione! Don't move!" Harry tried to be quiet, but his voice came out as more of a shout.

"We were only trying to protect her. He was hurting her." Draco offered to McGonagall, who was trying to figure out what happened. He felt numb at the sight of Hermione like this.

"I saw them on the ground. Hermione was putting up a good fight. Then she just… stopped." Ron trailed off, shuddering at the thought of what they had witnessed.

"Now you boys are going to pick her up and bring her to the Hospital wing, because I can't lift her. But you will need to be very, very careful so as not to provide any more injuries to her." Madame Pomfrey guided their arms to where they would need to place them and then Draco, Ron and Harry slowly lifted up her fragile body and followed the adults to the Hospital wing.

After about a ten minute walk, they arrived and carefully set her down on the crisp white bed. Draco turned away as the nurses swarmed around his girlfriend, getting x-rays and fixing her up.

When they were finally done, Draco stood up and looked at Hermione. Her shoulders and chest, all down her torso were bandaged up and her wrist had a splint on it. Draco started shaking and tears welled up. "Hermione, no, NO." He couldn't stand to lose her, not after everything she had been through. What could they possibly do? She looked like she was going to die.

"Mr. Malfoy, listen, she'll be all right." Professor McGonagall put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Broken ribs and collarbone, sprained wrist and concussion, that's all" Madame Pomfrey added. That calmed him down a little bit. Bones would heal and so would a concussion. She would be alright.

"I'll owl her parents straight away" Professor McGonagall straightened up, as if she just thought of that brilliant idea. She briskly walked out of the room.

Hermione moved a little and her eyes fluttered open. "Draco?" her voice was soft and weak, but Draco heard her.

"Here," he replied and slipped his hand into hers, rubbing her soft skin.

"I'm sorry" She whispered, then her eyes closed again. Sorry for what? He wondered, but kept holding her hand. Harry pushed a chair towards him and the three of them sat down in silence for the next hour, feeling guilty that they hadn't come sooner, but happy that she would be okay.


	16. The Aftermath

Hermione remembered very little of the next twenty-four hours as she slipped in and out of consciousness. Madam Pomfrey continued her bustling ministrations, tending to her broken bones, and feeding her a revolting potion she told her was necessary. Draco was at her side almost the entire time. Same with Harry and Ron. Finally she felt awake enough to hold a conversation and she turned slightly in her bed, getting all three boys to look at her.

"Hermione!" Draco couldn't look happier that she was awake. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better" She attempted a joke but they all seemed too tense to laugh. "So what exactly happened?"

"Well, Landon kind of beat you up from what we gathered" Ron stated plainly.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I meant what happened after…" Hermione didn't want to say after she passed out. She hated feeling weak and dependent on anyone and the fact that she needed rescuing annoyed her.

"Ron ran to get help and Mal- er- Draco and I fought off Landon" Harry looked proud.

"Yeah, we fought him a little, shot a few spells and eventually he was lying on the ground, bleeding like someone slashed his body multiple times" Draco piped in. Hermione was very proud that Draco and Harry had fought off Landon and won. But that still left one question.

"Where's Landon now?" Her heart sped up as she thought of what he would do to her after she got out of the Hospital wing. Did the whole school know about her cheating on him? Would that make him angrier at her? Would he hurt her anymore or had he finally learned his lesson? Hermione hadn't realized that she had started hyperventilating.

Draco grabbed her hand gently. "He's gone Hermione" he said softly, obviously trying to calm her down.

"He transferred to Durmstrang last night" Ron smiled to himself "let them straighten him out."

Hermione smiled, thankful that she would no longer have to deal with Landon. Then the door to the Hospital wing opened and a red haired girl came in.

"Oh Hermione, I was so worried!" Ginny rushed over to Hermione's bed and the three guys moved out of the way. "I wasn't allowed to get out of any of my classes like these three did, but I came as fast as I could." She was breathless from the running she did, probably across the castle. "Is it horrible here? Are you doing alright?"

"Ginny, I'm doing fine. I get let out at noon today. It is pretty horrible though. Madame Pomfrey keeps making me drink this awful potion because apparently I broke my collarbone but I twisted when I did it, so it's not a simple spell that will fix it." Hermione smiled a little to make Ginny less worried, but it hurt her shoulders to smile and she winced, making Ginny jump.

"Alright, well I must get back to my classes before Snape kills me for being late. I can't wait to see you tonight Hermione" Ginny squeezed her hand, not wanting to hug her and left the Hospital wing.


	17. Happy Endings

The clock struck noon and Madame Pomfrey gave her a potion one last time before Harry grabbed her hand and escorted her back to the common room. On the walk there, Harry turned to her.

"Hermione, why didn't you just tell us that all of this was happening?" Harry looked hurt, which was the last thing Hermione wanted to happen.

"I-I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to get you involved. I thought I could handle it myself. I didn't want to be rescued" She looked down at her shoes.

They walked in silence for another minute until they were standing right in front of the painting to the common room.

"Just know that you can always come to me with anything, alright?" Harry embraced her in a hug and Hermione took in the scent of his cologne. She was glad to be back to herself again. Harry spoke the password and the portrait swung open, revealing a surprise to Hermione.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione!" Ron and Draco shouted in unison. Hermione took in the common room, covered in festive decorations and a little Christmas tree in the corner with wrapped gifts under it. Hermione had completely forgotten what day it was.

Draco walked over to her, holding a small wrapped box with a bow on it. She smiled at him and sat down on the couch, carefully unwrapping it. She opened the box and found a silver locket, with a pink diamond on it. She looked up at Draco and gave him a loving look. He took her hand and spoke softly.

"Hermione Granger, will you be my girlfriend?" He smiled at her as she sat, frozen with delight. She wrapped his arms around him and whispered "Yes".

Draco put the necklace on her and the four of them spent the rest of the day opening presents and enjoying one another's company.

**The End**

A/N I just wanted to say thanks to all the reviews you guys have left me and everyone who added my story to their favorites list. You inspired me to keep writing (I know that was kind of cheesy). So just thank you


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